Musical modulator



EJan. 12, 1932. G. M. HURsTV 1,840,903

MUS IGAL MODULATOR Filed April 2, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 12, 1932. G. M. HURsT 1,840,903

' Mus ICAL' MoDULAToR Filed April 2, 1951 s sheets-sheet 2 l Y /N/f/vfm g W l ,va/95x Jan. 12,1932. G. M. HURST 1,840,903

MUSICAL MODULATOR Filed April 2, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Muff/WOR a M ffy/Q5 r.

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Patented Jan. 12, 1932 PATENT OFFICE GEORGEYMONRO BURST, OKF CHIPPAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA MUSICAL MoDULA'ron Application ledAkpril V2,l 1981. Serial No. 527,138.

My invention relates to improvements in musical modulators, and the object of thein` vention is to devise a device for teaching the theory of music such as major andV minor .J) scale, modulation, transposition, harmony,

instrumentation, chords and all .intervals pertaining to the study of music, and it consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as hereinafter more particular- 1U ly explained. Y

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the key board of an orga-n or similarV instrument and that portion of my device extending up- .I wardly therefrom. ',Fig. 2is a rear elevation of the `parts shown inFig.1.

Fig. l3 is a vertical sectional view ron line* 3-3Fig.2. v. v, y Fig. 4 is a perspective View of that portion 3" of my device extending beneath the key board illustrated in Fig. 1. f i Fig. 5 is a perspective detail of the mechanism for operating the note indicating stops from a corresponding key of the keyl boardA 3 and showing the parts in the normal position.

Fig. 6 is a similar View to Fig. 5 showing the position .of the stop kwhen held forsustaining the note. y

Figs. 7 to 12 are details showing the faces of the various stops and. theirv colour .note indications. I

In the drawingslike characters ot reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure. y 1 indicates a key board of an organ or other similar instrument. 2 isa casing provided.

with side standards 3. and 4 extending upwardly therefrom toform a support `for a scale plate 5, such scale plate being supported therebetween overand adjacent to thekey o board and, therefore, directly infront of the player. The scale plate 5 is provided with vertical parallel slots 6, 7and 8. The scale plate is `divided horizontally by half tone graduations extending at each side of each,v

' slot. Adjacent each slot is a vertical row or column of natural note 'indicationsindi-l cated at 6", 7 X, 8 and 9x arranged on the half tone graduations at the Vusual musical intervals.the columns 6", 7 X and 8x being adjacent 5^ the left hand edge of rveach slot and the col# the orifices 9.

umn 9x being adjacent the right hand edge of the scale plate. The natural note indications start at the bottom with tlieindicating letterV of the note F, the lowest note produced by the keys of the key board` and theother letters extending upward in the usual musical intervals. To the left `of each vertical column 6*, 7X, 8% and 9% is a vertical row of orifices 6, 7 80and 9, an orifice being in horizontal alignment with each half tone indication.

On the opposite side of the orifices is arranged alternate columns ofk sharp and flat noteindications 10, 11, 12 and 13. That is to say the column 10 shows sharp indications, 05 Y the column 11 flat indications,y the column l12 sharpindications and the column 13 flat indications. As will be 'readily seen from the drawings these sharp and flat indications are placed inthe proper relative positions or in- 7 tervals to the natural notes as they are arranged on the key board'of the instrument.y The natural indications are lettered in black and the sharp and dat indications are prefer.- ably lettered in red and blue respectively.` y 14j are a seriesl of stems provided with headsY 14;x Aextending through the orifices 69. A

' similar series of stems 15 extending through the orifices 7 stems 16 extending through the orifices 8 and stems 17 extending through It will thus be seen that a horizontal row of stems 14,15, 16 and 17 are arranged opposite each horizontal row of half tone indications, and the stems of each horizontal row each indicate the samesound produced, thereby indicating the location of the same sound or tone in each scale, 'one' sound both indicating F'sharp in the major scale and G f'lat in the minor scale.

18 is a slidable scale comprising three slide 90 members 19, 20 and 21. As will be seen from referring to Fig. 1 each vertical edge ofv each member 19, 20 and 21 is provided with 4a rabbet groove 22 engaging the'vertical edges ofthe slots 6,7 or 8.

In order to secure the slidemembers in position a plate 23 is secured to lthe back of" each scale member 19, 20 and 21 so as to over-` lap the edges of the slots 6, 7 and 8 and form a slideway slidingvertieally on theguiding from thekey board I lprovide a cross barg44' provided with up-turned ends 45 connected together by a horizontal rod 46 from'which e extend inward extensions 47 pivotallymount- 'iedupon the side wallsof the main casing as indicated at 48.

In vertical alignment with each .row .of stems is a slot 49 through which extends ma pin 50, such pin being carried by the slide bar 40. To one of the pins 50 is secured a loop member which isswung upon the cross bar 46. It will thus be seen that the player when playing in any position upon:

ma the key board can easily engage the bar 44 with his finger and depress the same so as to carry the slide bar 40 to the locking position to sustain any desired note. Y

Upon the plate I mount an indicating 2U- board 52 which is divided vertically into spaces, each space corresponding to a note of the key board and having inscribed thereon the corresponding stop pin indication hereinbefore described together with the nat- 25 ural, sharp or flat indications corresponding to such stop indication. The board 52 acts as a guide to the student in finding the keys on the key board that operate in conjunct-ion with correspondingmovable stops, in`

U5 dicating the letters of the notes that are sounded by the keys being. marked over their respective keys together with thecoloured indication of the stem.

In order that the slidable scale member 18 35, may be adjusted vertically from a pointI adjacent the key board I provide upper and lower pulleys 53 and 54 around which eX- tends a cord 55, the ends of the cord being connected to a pin 56 carried by the sliding scale through the scale plate 5 and is provided, at

its opposite end, with a knob 57 by which the device may be manipulated.

In order that the instrument, in the case of a wind instrument such as an organ, may be thrown in and out of operation by the teacher when standing by the device I provide the following mechanism.

58 and 59 are the operating bellows o the organ provided with arms 60 and 61. 62 and 63 are links provided with slots 62X and 63X through which the arms 61 and 62 extend freely. 64 is a crank shaft provided with crank arms 65 and 66 which are oppositely if set when connected to the links 62 and 63 as indicated. The crank shaft 64 is provided with a pulley 67 connected by a belt 68 to a pulley 69 mounted on the shaft 70 of the operating motor 71. 72 is a contact plate sef" cured to the main casing in a stationary position and 73 is a contact arm pivotally mounted at 74 upon the casing. 75 is a treadle bar pivoted on the rod 76 and 77 is aV spring heldl .l link pivotally connected at its lower end 7S G" to the treadle and adjacent its upper end 18. The spindle 54X of the pulley 54 extendsv to the movable contact 73. 79 and 80 are the f circuit wires leading respectively from the contacts 72 and 73 to the terminals of the motor 71.

It will thus be seen that when the treadle 75 is depressed the contacts 72 and 7 3 will be closed thereby closing the motor circuit and operatek the bellows through the crank shaft 74.

When it is desired to operate the keys l of the key board independently of my device all it is necessary to do is to release the hook 8l from the pin 82 and then swing the-plate 35 rearwardly upon its pivot 36 thereby carry? ing the hooked ends 39 of the rods 38 out of the staples 34. Whenever desired the plate 35 may be swung inward so as to carry the hooked ends into re-engagement with the staples thereby reconnectingthe device to the keys of the key board. i

It w'will thus be seen that by the use of my' device the study of music is simplified so that all the-scales may be readily taught and the corresponding notes of the scales readily determined, and by this means the study of musicwill be stimulated and will bring hand played music into the home enabling the` teaching of children in large groups in Vschools and colleges so that they will have a thorough knowledge' of the constructionrofv music before taking up kthe study of any private instrument and thereby ensuring a 4faster progress and clearer' conception of the possibilities of their instrument. v i lVhat I claim as my invention is:

1. In a musical modulator, the combination with the keys of the key board, of a scale plate divided vertically by horizontal lines, of half tone graduations corresponding in number to the number of keys of the key board, a plu-` rality of note indicators on each line of graduations and also arranged in vertical rows, a column of natural note indications upon the side of each vertical row, a column of sharp note indications yon the other side of certain of said vertical rows, columns of fiat note indications on the other side of the otherV of said rows, bothy sharps and iats being arranged invconjunction with theV natural note indications to correspond with the note arrangement of the key board, a vert-ical slidable member carrying vertically arranged tonicy solfa indications located between the vertical rows of note indications, and means for operating simultaneously each horizontal row of indicators from the corresponding. keys of the key board.

2. In a musical modulator, the combination with the keys of the key board, a scale plate indicating a plurality of scales and a movable i indicator for each scale operating in unison .by each keyv and coloured in vcontrasting colours to represent the natural, sharp and Hat. indications of the scale plate, of a chart board extending overA the back portion of the key los y im f board and divided to provide a space over each key having thereon the colour indication of the corresponding indicator together' with the corresponding note indications of the scale plate.

S55. In a musical modulator, the combinatien with the keys of the key board, a scale plate indicating a plurality of parallel scales, a movable indicator Jfor each scale and corresponding to each key of the key board and coloured in contrasting colours to represent the natural, 'flat and sharp indications of the scale plate, means detachably connected to each key 'tor operating a corresponding set o't' such indicators, a plate pivoted at its upper edge and extending over the back of the key board longitudinally thereof and detachably secured at its lower edge, and means operated by the swinging of the pivoted plate for making and breaking the connection between the keys and the operating mechanism of the indicators.

Ll. In a musical modulator, the combination with the keys of the key board, a scale plate indicating a plurality of parallel scales, a movable indicator for each scale and corresponding to each key of the key board and coloured in contrasting colours to represent the natural, Vflat and sharp indications ol the vscale plate, means detachably connected to each key for operating a corresponding set of such indicators, a plate pivoted at its upper edge and extending over the back of the key board longitudinally thereof and detachably secured at its lower edge, and having a perforated flange extending rearward at right angles to such loiver edge, a staple carried by the rear portion of each key, a rod extending through each plate perforation over each key and having a hooked end engaging the staple of the corresponding key, and means operated by the longitudinal movement of any one of' said rods when a key is depressed for operating the set of movable indicators of the scale plate corresponding to such key.

5. In a musical modulator, the combinatien With the keys of the key board, a scale plate indicating a plurality oi parallel scales, a movable indicator for each scale, means ior operatively connecting an indicator of each sca-le to each corresponding key, means for ting such connecting means by the dere., .on oit such key to move said indicators to the indicating position, and means for releasably locking the depressed key and indicators in the indicating position to sustain the tone and the indication thereof.

G. In a musical modulator, the combination With the keys of the key board. a scale plate indicating a plurality of parallel scales, a movable indicator for each scale, means for operatively connecting an indicator of each scale to each corresponding key, means for operating such connecting means by the depression of such key to move said indicators to the indicating position, means for releasably locking the depressed key and indicators in the indicating position to sustain the tone and the indication thereof, and means eX- tending longitudinally et and adjacent to the key hoard for operating said locking means.

7. In a musical modulator, the combination With the keys of the key board, a scale plate indicating a plurality of scales and a movable indicator for each scale operated in horizontal sets by each key, a rock shaft parallel ing each set, an arm connecting each indicator ot each set to the corresponding rock shatt, and connecting means between each rock shaft and corresponding key to rock the shaft by the depression of such key.

GEORGE MoNno HUns'r. 

